Pink Greek Dressing

There’s a Coney Island restaurant in my hometown that has the best Greek dressing ever. I mean, I dream about this stuff. It’s this beautiful shade of light pink that I’ve never seen anywhere else, and it has these delicious umami notes that you just don’t get in other Greek dressings. When I found out what they used to make it pink, I was shocked. Beet juice!

Beet haters, hear me out. I was one of you once. I was the most adamant beet hater there was. But then, one day, I saw the most gorgeous roasted beets on some food blog somewhere (I think it might have been Caitlin’s recipe at From My Bowl, but I’m not sure) and I decided to give them another try. Y’all. Beets is good. When you cook ’em right, I promise they don’t taste like dirt.

If you’re still not convinced, though, let me assure you that this dressing does not have a detectable beet flavor. The beet juice is there to serve two purposes: to cut acidity, and to create that show-stopping color. And if that color isn’t enough to make you want to make it, well then, I just don’t know what to tell you. Toss it together with my Mediterranean Kale & Bulgur Salad and you’ve got a big bowl of salad bliss.

So give ’em a shot. They’re full of folate (a great nutrient for mental function—woohoo! More fuel for our wellness goals!) and tons of antioxidants. Just don’t panic when they make your pee red. If you’re still not on the beet train, that’s okay. They’re not for everyone. What vegetables have you warmed up to?

Pink Greek Dressing

Prep Time: 5–15 mins | Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp salt

½ cup olive oil

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp dried basil

¼ tsp dried oregano

¼ cup beet juice*

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a small jar. Shake to emulsify and serve.

Notes

I got my beet juice from one whole, small beet. I blended it until it was completely pureed, then squeezed it through a fine-mesh strainer to separate the juice from the pulp. If you have a juicer, use that, or if you don’t feel like juicing a beet today and are within proximity to bottled beet juice, go ahead and use that. Just make sure it’s 100% beet juice.